Flourishing in the Fire: Third Purpose of Suffering: Transforming
As we continue our series on the Purposes of Suffering in the Fire, I want to remind us of a truth shared in an earlier newsletter article: that the value of suffering may not lie in the suffering itself. Although the pain from the furnace's heat is definitely real, the true value lies in the changes that happen because of the fire. Another way to see it is that suffering often produces something on the other side that couldn't have been achieved any other way. This truth is best understood through our next purpose of suffering: transforming.
Many are familiar with the Biblical account of the three Jewish boys who were thrown into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon for refusing to worship his golden idol. This incredible story highlights God’s faithfulness and protection (see Daniel 3:8-30).
King Nebuchadnezzar was renowned for many accomplishments, including rebuilding the ancient city of Babylon. He not only reconstructed it but also ensured it was built with a grandeur and beauty that were unmatched for its time. Babylon had numerous large furnaces dedicated to baking bricks and tiles for construction and decoration. These were massive kilns designed to fire clay at different temperatures.
In short, firing clay into bricks transforms wet, mushy mud into a strong, solid form that can be used for many purposes beyond what is possible without firing. However, the firing process involves more than just drying clay. Yes, the clay shrinks as it dries and begins to take shape, but at this stage, it can be easily returned to its original form by simply adding water.
As the temperature rises, a permanent chemical change starts at the molecular level. Organics burn off, and carbonates break down, while the quartz in the clay undergoes a crystal-structure transformation. Particles begin to fuse, reducing their porosity and strengthening their structure. Ultimately, at temperatures nearing 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, silica and other chemicals enter a glassy phase, bonding the remaining crystals into a final brick form that will not soften again in water and retains permanent ceramic hardness.
Analogously, our suffering works to shape us—through multiple fires over a lifetime, forming a brick suitable for use by the Lord, to be placed where He chooses. The Bible calls this lifelong process sanctification (being set apart for a special purpose).
This picture becomes even more glorious when we realize that, as individual holy bricks, our Heavenly King is building His kingdom here on earth. Peter says in I Peter 2:5, “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house…” The bricks we are becoming are not for our good alone—to make us stronger, more solid, and more useful in our faith through suffering—but for an even greater purpose: we are becoming bricks that are being placed with other bricks to build what the Builder ultimately plans to accomplish “on earth as in heaven” (Matthew 5:10). He is using our suffering in the fiery furnace to transform us into something we could never be without suffering, for our good and for His glory.
